


The Nophie Wedding Job

by AthenaMay24



Series: Nophie Wedding [1]
Category: Leverage
Genre: But I added some P/H because I can't help myself, F/M, I promise there's a real wedding too, Mostly Nophie, With A Twist, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaMay24/pseuds/AthenaMay24
Summary: The team is in France for a wedding at a luxury resort. The bride and groom prepared a simple ceremony, but of course nothing ever goes completely to plan when the Leverage team is involved.Set post-season 5, basically my interpretation of what a Nophie wedding episode would look like if we'd been lucky enough to get an episode. I'm trying to get into the headspace of how the writers would give us a Nophie wedding, while also being far too self-indulgent. Hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker, Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford
Series: Nophie Wedding [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840711
Comments: 18
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nophie Wedding Episode, my interpretation! This is for izzy on twitter, she asked for a Nophie wedding episode, and hopefully I delivered all right. Hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think! (also, you can follow me on twitter @kaitlinwrites24, that's where I do most of my yelling about Leverage now)

In the south of France, in a 16th century castle and estate converted into a luxury resort and wedding venue, Sophie Devereaux checked her makeup one last time in a floor-length wall mirror in the foyer outside the grand ballroom. Her makeup was impeccable, of course, but something about this made her nervous. She knew it was silly, but she couldn’t help feeling like something was going to go wrong.

The music started to swell, and Parker handed Sophie her bouquet. Parker was managing to look almost completely at ease in her formal, form-fitting dress, and she gave Sophie the barest hint of a smile before turning and nodding at the ushers standing at the double doors to the ballroom. Sophie took a deep breath.

The ushers, perfectly in sync, pulled open the doors and Sophie stepped through, holding her bouquet tightly in front of her and sinking into the calm headspace she used for performances.

Her short train glided behind her as she took measured steps down the aisle. She’d spent a lot of time picking this dress, considering the circumstances. It was relatively simple, white, of course, and detailed with lace. The front was modest, with lace edging the neckline and curving around her body, giving way to the real showstopper—an entirely open back. It was just the right balance of elegant and dramatic, and Sophie was very happy she’d managed to find it on such short notice.

Her hair was pulled back in a simple updo, and she wore a sparkling comb in the bun instead of a veil. She walked down the aisle alone, and she could feel the guests’ eyes on her.

Nate waited at the end of the aisle, rocking back and forth slightly on his feet, an expectant grin on his face as he watched her.

He held out his hand when she reached him, and she took it gratefully, climbing the few steps up the small platform that served as their alter. She put her bouquet down on the small, decorative table that had been set up to the left of the alter for that purpose and joined Nate in the center of the stage, reaching for his hand again without really thinking about it.

“You look beautiful,” Nate said softly as the wedding officiant began welcoming the guests.

Sophie held back a smile and looked Nate up and down. “You’re pretty dapper yourself, darling.” She ran her fingers over the lapel of his tuxedo.

The officiant cleared his throat, and Sophie and Nate reluctantly turned their attention away from each other and back to the ceremony at hand.

Sophie kept her eyes on Nate, only paying enough attention to the officiant’s words to respond appropriately when necessary. Nate’s mind wasn’t on the ceremonial words either, she could tell. He kept scanning around the ballroom, but Sophie took no little pride in the fact that his gaze always slipped back to her. She didn’t blame him. It was a killer dress.

“Please, repeat after me,” The officiant nodded towards Nate. “With this ring . . .”

Nate held up Sophie’s left hand. “With this ring—”

The double doors banged open. “Wait!” A screechy voice echoed through the ballroom. “I object!”

Sophie and Nate spun around. There was a flurry of movement as all the guests turned to look behind them. “Bloody hell,” Sophie muttered.

A stricken young woman stood in the middle of the aisle. “I object!” she shouted again. “You can’t go through with this!”

~o0o~

_Earlier That Morning_

Sophie awoke as she always should, in a luxurious king-sized bed with Nate’s arm thrown across her middle. Her alarm was beeping, but Nate hadn’t moved, so she stretched languidly and turned it off.

Nate tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her closer so her back was pressed against him.

“Mmm,” she hummed contentedly as he skimmed a kiss along her bare shoulder. “Ready to be a married man, Mr. Ford?”

Nate chuckled, deep in his throat, in that way that she found nearly irresistible. She arched her body into him, pressing against him for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of his body stretched against hers, and then rolled so she was lying on her back and he was propped up on his side looking down at her. He leaned down and kissed her.

“Are you sure we have somewhere to be today?” Nate asked, kissing her some more, and then moving down to kiss her neck.

“Getting cold feet?” Sophie put a teasing lilt in her voice. She kissed him one final time and then reluctantly nudged him off of her and sat up to climb out of bed.

Nate snorted and rubbed his face. “Hardly.”

Sophie stopped and turned back to look at him over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

Nate reached out and ran a finger lightly down her arm. “I’ll marry you as many times as you want.”

Sophie grinned, despite her attempts to remain playfully serious. Nate grinned back, and pulled her in for another kiss. She indulged him—and herself—for a while, but she had to pull away again. “Mmm, darling, we really do need to get going.”

“What are they gonna do, start our wedding without us?”

Sophie laughed, but she got out of the bed, and Nate let her go. He watched as she quickly got dressed and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she returned, he still hadn’t moved. She raised an eyebrow at him, and sat at the vanity on the other side of the room to apply her makeup. After a few more minutes of silence, she made eye contact with him in the mirror. “Are you going to get up, or just lay there and stare at me? I certainly expected you to be more motivated today.”

Nate chuckled again. “What about you? You seem a little _too_ motivated to leave me here alone.”

Sophie clicked her tongue. “It’s part of the plan, Nate, and you know it.” She stood up and blew him a kiss. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to meet Matthew for breakfast. See you at the alter, darling.”

Nate groaned and finally got up as Sophie waltzed out of the room. Nate wasn’t entirely sure that this whole wedding charade was necessary, but Sophie was having fun—she was planning the thing like it was a real wedding—so he didn’t mind going along with it, as long as the marks got what was coming to them. Besides, nothing said he couldn’t enjoy himself with this whole fantasy wedding Sophie had planned.

The con wasn’t that complicated, as far as the team’s plans go. Matthew McKnight and his sister Mary worked as event planners at the resort. Mary and Matthew had a nice scheme going where they would plan extravagant weddings for unsuspecting couples, throwing extra fees and charges at them wherever possible, which they pocketed. Then, because Mary and Matthew would persuade the couple to purchase an on-site honeymoon that was booked separately than the wedding and had a ridiculous cancellation fee, one of them would attempt to seduce either the bride or groom on their wedding night. Regardless of whether the newlywed willingly went along with the advances, they’d get caught in a compromising position by their new spouse, usually leading to a cancellation of the honeymoon, gaining another huge cash-grab for Matthew and Mary.

Sophie and Nate had established themselves as just another doomed-to-fail couple with too much money, here to be married in private at the luxurious resort. They’d made it clear from the moment they’d arrived that not only was the relationship tumultuous, but also that Sophie seemed to be only marrying Nate for his money. Parker and Hardison had gotten jobs as Mary’s assistant and the wedding photographer, respectively, and Eliot was playing Nate’s personal body guard, which gave him a reason to skulk around Sophie to keep an eye on her to make sure Matthew kept his hands to himself. Matthew had been extremely receptive when Sophie had started returning his advances, and who could blame him? Sophie could make any man feel special. All the team had left to do was get the wedding over with so they could turn the con back on Matthew and Mary, get them fired, and steal back the money for their victims.

It was going to be a good day.

~o0o~

Hardison awoke to the sound of the door to his and Parker’s room in the staff quarters being opened and closed. Before he even had time to sit up and figure out what was going on, Parker was sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him, munching on a bagel from a plate in her lap. She held the plate out toward him and grinned around a mouthful of bread. “I got breakfast.”

“Thanks, babe,” Hardison sat up taking a bagel from the plate. “Heard from Nate or Sophie yet?”

Parker took a minute, chewed, and swallowed. “Nope. I’m supposed to meet Mary in the ballroom in a half-hour to start setting up for the ceremony.”

“And I’ve gotta be with Matt and Sophie taking all the wedding pictures. Just standing for hours in the hot sun snapping pictures for no reason, listening to Matt schmooze Sophie a little more. That guy’s too much.” Hardison shook his head. “Wanna switch?”

“Only if you wear the dress.” Parker jerked her head towards the garment bag hanging on the closet door. “I need your help getting it on, by the way.”

Hardison smiled. “Hey, no problem there.”

Parker rolled her eyes, finishing up the last of her bagel.

Hardison put a hand over his heart and leaned forward, looking contrite, “I’m sorry you have to wear an uncomfortable dress to the wedding.”

Parker held back a smirk and shook her head. “No, you’re not. You like how I look in the dress.”

“I like _you_ ,” Hardison said sincerely.

Parker smiled. “I like you, too.” She nudged him with her shoulder, “Now hurry up and eat, so we can go.”

Hardison grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

~o0o~

Sophie filled a plate with some fruit and pastries and took a seat at a high table in the breakfast room. Right on time, she felt someone glide up behind her.

“And how is the beautiful bride doing on this lovely morning?” Matthew asked, smiling winningly at her.

Sophie laughed, and gestured for Matthew to take the seat opposite her. “Well, Right now I’m feeling peckish.” She gestured to her plate and took a bite of a strawberry.

“Well, be sure to eat up. We wouldn’t want you to feel faint going down the aisle.” Matthew kept on that smile, which Sophie was sure he thought was charming, but really she found it rather disturbing.

She returned the smile. “You know, I really appreciate you taking the time to eat with me like this. I know you must have plenty of things to attend to.”

“Of course I would make time for you,” he leaned closer. “I value your happiness, Clare.”

Sophie looked away, pretending to be flattered. “You really are something else, Mr. McKnight.”

~o0o~

Nate grabbed a cup of coffee at the breakfast bar and then ambled over to where Eliot was standing in the lobby. Eliot was facing the breakfast room, keeping an eye on Sophie chatting at a table with Matthew.

“Update?” Nate asked quietly, positioning himself so Eliot could talk to him and still see Sophie and Matthew.

Eliot grunted. “She’s good, but I don’t have to tell you that. She’s got him hooked. He might even make a move before the wedding.”

Nate smiled. “Good, good. As long as he thinks he won’t have any issues tonight.”

“You really think he’ll believe Sophie wants to run away with him on her wedding night?” Eliot scoffed. “Are we sure he’s _that_ much of a douchebag?”

“It’s like you said,” Nate took a sip of his coffee and grinned, “Sophie’s good.”

Eliot looked like he wanted to say something else, but Nate interrupted him.

“Incoming,” Nate nodded across the lobby. Mary was striding towards them, Parker trailing behind her. Mary was dressed impeccably in a well-tailored skirt-suit. Her blonde hair was down around her shoulders instead of pulled back as it had been every other time they’d interacted with her. Parker looked bored, following Mary around carrying a clipboard, but they all knew Parker didn’t like playing an assistant.

Eliot cleared his throat and stood up straighter, assuming his role of bodyguard.

“Mr. Shaw,” Mary smiled at Nate, using his alias. “How are you feeling? Excited?”

Nate slipped into character, putting on a slightly sleazier voice. “Ah, yes, excited, sure.” He chuckled. “To be honest, I’d rather skip the whole ceremony shebang, but if it’s what my lovely Clare wants, then it’s what she’ll get, you know? Gotta keep the missus happy.” Nate could see Eliot rolling his eyes at his performance, but he didn’t react. “Ah, is everything on track, Miss McKnight?”

“I told you, call me Mary,” Mary simpered. “Yes, everything is going completely to schedule. Your betrothed is with my brother, and they should be heading out to the garden for the pre-ceremony photos as soon as Clare gets her dress on.”

“As long as your brother isn’t helping her with that part,” Nate joked, well aware that Matthew was probably trying to do that exact thing.

“Yes,” Mary looked uncomfortable for a second, but she covered well. She gestured over her shoulder at Parker, waving a hand at her impatiently. Parker made a face and handed over the clipboard. Mary checked over it, and then looked back up at Nate and smiled. “Speaking of getting dressed, it’s time for you to go to the groom’s suite to be pampered before the big moment. I’ve got to see to something in the kitchen, but Mindy—” Mary waved a hand at Parker once again, “Can show you to the groom’s suite.”

“Thanks,” Nate nodded at Mary and she hurried off, taking the clipboard with her.

Parker crossed her arms over her chest. “She bothers me, and I can’t figure out why.”

Eliot raised an eyebrow. “Is it because she’s scamming people and breaking up marriages?”

“No,” Parker shook her head, ignoring Eliot's sarcasm and frowning at where Mary had disappeared. “Something else.”

Eliot made an exasperated face at her, and Nate hid a smile. Things were on track.

~o0o~

In the garden, Hardison had just finished setting up his camera when Sophie and Matthew emerged from the nearby outbuilding. Sophie was wearing her wedding dress now, minus the train. As she and Matthew approached, Sophie feigned her heels getting stuck in the grass and she stumbled, reaching out an arm and allowing Matthew to help hold her upright. He led her the rest of the way to Hardison with one hand on the small of her back. Now that Hardison knew some of Sophie’s tricks, he found it ridiculous that the marks still fell for them every time. How did the tripping trick really work on every gross man they encountered? They must really believe that all pretty women are helpless.

Hardison played the part of the perfectionist photographer, appearing to be so focused on his work that Matthew felt comfortable flirting with Sophie as if he wasn’t there at all.

To amuse himself, Hardison was having Sophie pose in increasingly ridiculous positions, and though he could tell Sophie was onto his game, she didn’t say anything. He’d taken plenty of nice pictures already which he was sure Sophie and Nate would appreciate, so he might as well have a little fun.

Sophie was currently positioned with one arm slung above her head, holding her bouquet down by her face and leaning her whole body backwards as Hardison called out encouragement and snapped photos.

“If I may be so bold, Clare,” Matthew began, standing back out of the shot and looking thoughtfully at Sophie. “You’re not like most brides I work with.”

Sophie chuckled, “In a good way, I hope.”

“Yes, yes,” Matthew smiled, showing his teeth, “You are certainly far more beautiful than most of my brides, but that’s not what I meant.”

Hardison rolled his eyes, and changed Sophie’s position again, getting her to turn completely around with her back to the camera and stand in a superhero pose with her hands on her hips.

“Then what did you mean?” Sophie asked, continuing the conversation despite the fact that she was now facing in the opposite direction of Matthew.

“I meant, well,” Matthew hesitated, but it was clearly a scripted pause, “You don’t seem all that happy, Clare.”

“Oh?” Sophie asked carefully. She had to balance between seeming to want to marry Nate and also seeming unsatisfied enough that it would be plausible for her to leave him later. “How so?”

Matthew walked directly into Hardison’s shot, coming up behind Sophie and moving closer to her. Sophie turned to look at him, but she didn’t move away.

“Are you sure, really sure, that he’s the right one for you?” Matthew said quietly, gazing mooningly into Sophie’s eyes.

Sophie chuckled uncomfortably and pulled away, feigning confusion. “What do you mean? He’s my fiancé, of course I’m sure.”

Matthew looked at her intently for a moment longer, managing to look disarmingly sad, and then took a step back. “Well, that’s reassuring. If you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to attend to inside. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Mr. Jordan,” he gestured to Hardison, and quickly stepped away, heading purposefully across the lawn.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Hardison said, watching him disappear into the building.

“He’s not half bad,” Sophie clicked her tongue. “No wonder he gets perfectly normal people to doubt their relationships. Combine his flattery routine and the way he subtly introduces doubts with an already nerve-wracking situation and you’ve got the perfect recipe for mistakes.”

_“As long as it isn’t actually working on you, darling_ ,” Nate’s voice came over their comms. “ _I’d hate to be left at the alter for real_.”

Sophie laughed lightly. “Don’t worry, you’ve got your own charm, at least when you want to use it.”

Nate made a hmphing noise and Sophie grinned.

~o0o~

Hardison took a few more pictures of Sophie in case anyone was watching, and then returned to his and Parker’s room to get dressed for the ceremony.

Parker was pacing the room in her underwear. She didn’t look up when he came in. Hardison walked over and kissed her cheek, throwing his camera bag on the bed.

“What’s wrong, mama?” Hardison asked when Parker still barely acknowledged him.

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” Parker shook her head and finally looked at him.

Hardison raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Something about Mary is bothering me, but I can’t quite figure out what.” Parker blew out a breath, ruffling her bangs. “It’s probably nothing. You done with the pictures?”

“Yeah,” Hardison nodded towards the camera bag, “Got some good shots.”

Parker’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! Lemme see!” Parker grabbed the camera eagerly and bounced onto the bed, flipping through the photos on the camera’s digital screen.

Hardison chuckled and started pulling his suit out of the closet. “You gonna get dressed, babe? Or are you gonna just show up in your underwear? Personally, I don’t think Sophie would appreciate that.”

Parker wasn’t listening. When she didn’t answer, Hardison looked back at her. She was frowning down at the camera, the same thoughtful look on her face she’d had when he came in. “What?”

He came over and looked over her shoulder at the camera. It was the picture that Matthew had stepped in front of. Nothing looked out of place to Hardison, it was just a slightly blurry picture of Matthew leaning towards Sophie.

“Where’s your computer?” Parker asked, holding out her hand for it before he had a chance to say anything. He grabbed it from the nightstand and handed it to her. She popped the SD card out of the camera and put it in the computer.

“What is it?” Hardison asked again.

Parker zoomed in on the picture on the laptop. “Look,” she pointed at Matthew’s suit jacket. “Doesn’t that look like . . ?”

“A gun,” Hardison confirmed, nodding grimly. “Why would he need a gun for a sweetheart scam?”

Parker shook her head, and then activated her comm. “Nate? We’ve got a problem.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! Hope everyone is okay, or at least as okay as they can be. Much love to everyone!

Chapter 2

Nate sat in the groom’s suite, listening to Parker and Hardison explain what they’d found over the comms. Eliot was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall, eyes closed, but Nate knew he was paying attention.

“Hmm,” Nate rubbed his face pensively. “Okay, anyone got eyes on Matthew?”

A chorus of negatives came through the comms.

“How could we, Nate?” Eliot asked, pushing off the wall and standing up straight. “No one has eyes on either of them right now, we’ve all gotta be getting ready for this stupid wedding.”

Nate thought for a moment, and then shifted forward in his chair. “Okay, Parker, hurry up and go meet Sophie. Stay with her until the ceremony. Hardison, I want you scouting the ballroom. Eliot—” Nate met Eliot’s eyes across the room, “Find Matthew.”

Eliot nodded and left.

In their room, Parker and Hardison scrambled off the bed and over to the closet.

“Good catch, babe,” Hardison said as they hurried to get dressed.

“Yeah,” Parker pulled her dress on over her head, muffling her words. “But we’re still missing something.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Hardison said encouragingly, smiling at her when her head appeared from within the dress. “We always do.”

She nodded once and turned around so he could help her with her zipper.

“Hey,” Hardison pulled her back against him and squeezed her from behind. She leaned into him, which never ceased to make him appreciate how far they’d come, but that wasn’t important right now. He leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “It’s just an idiot with a gun, just like every other job.”

Parker turned around and looked up at him, nodding again. She didn’t say anything, but Hardison didn’t really expect her too. She was working the puzzle in her head, same as Nate.

“ _Hey, enough canoodling, you two. We’re on the clock_ ,” Nate’s voice cut through their comms, making them instinctively step away from each other.

Parker grinned, stretched on tiptoes to quickly press a kiss onto Hardison’s lips, and then disappeared from the room.

Hardison watched her go, buttoning his shirt up the rest of the way. “Canoodling, really, Nate? As if we all don’t know what made you and Sophie late this morning.”

Sophie’s laugh cut off whatever reply Nate might have made, “ _Don’t blame me. That was all Nate’s fault._ ”

Nate made a noise of protest and Hardison chuckled. They’d figure it out. Besides, what was Matthew gonna do with a gun in the middle of a wedding at the resort he worked for? What could go wrong?

~o0o~

“I object! You can’t get married!” The words echoed through the ballroom. The guests, who were all just citizens of a nearby town they’d paid to come play the part of family and friends, were rising half out of their seats and staring, slack-jawed, at the woman in the aisle continuing to make her objections known.

It was Mary.

“The hell is going on?” Eliot muttered from his spot in the back corner, eyes automatically searching the ballroom for Matthew. He hadn’t been able to find him earlier, and decided it was better to be in the ballroom to keep an eye on things rather than continue the search.

“Want me to grab her?” Parker asked. She was closest to Mary at the back, by the double doors. She seemed a little too excited at the prospect of downing Mary.

“No, just play along,” Nate murmured, and stepped forward so he was in the middle of the alter and put on the persona of Mr. Shaw once again. “Uh, Mary? What’s going on here? Has there been some kind of, eh, miscommunication?”

Mary strode down the aisle, looking earnestly up at Nate. “You don’t want to marry her, Mr. Shaw. I thought I could do it, but I can’t keep this a secret any longer.”

“What? Keep what a secret?” Sophie pushed forward until she was next to Nate. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Mr. Shaw,” Mary glared at Sophie and then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry to be the one to say it, but your fiancée has been cheating on you.”

“What?” Nate and Sophie said at the same time.

“She’s been sleeping with my brother. He told me this morning, told me to keep it a secret, but I respect you too much to let you go through with this.” Mary looked surprisingly contrite for someone who’d been scamming newlyweds and breaking up marriages for profit.

“Uh,” Nate hesitated for only a second before he reared back, turning to face Sophie. “What? _What?_ ” He demanded in an overblown voice, telling her with his eyes to just play along and cause a distraction until they figured out what was going on. “You cheated on me? How could you?!”

“I did not!” Sophie exclaimed indignantly, immediately picking up on Nate’s signals. “She’s lying!”

“Who am I supposed to believe? You or her? She has nothing to lose!”

“I’d hope you’d believe your fiancée over some woman!” Sophie gestured wildly at Mary.

“Fiancée? Yeah, not anymore. I knew it, I just knew it!”

“I didn’t cheat on you! Why would I be here marrying you if I was gonna cheat on you?”

“For—” Nate spluttered, “For my money! I knew there was a reason you didn’t want a pre-nup!”

“Pre-nups aren’t romantic!”

“Neither is cheating!”

While Nate and Sophie continued to distract the crowd, Parker and Hardison had slipped over to Eliot.

“Any sign of Matthew?” Parker asked quietly.

Eliot gritted his teeth. “Nope.”

“Haven’t seen him since the garden,” Hardison added.

“This is off-script for them,” Parker was staring directly at the stage where Mary was attempting to get Nate’s attention away from the argument with Sophie. “Something changed.”

“Yeah, the question is, did it change just now, when she ran in,” Hardison began.

“Or did it change a long time ago, and we’re just now noticing?” Eliot finished, crossing his arms over his chest.

Parker smiled grimly. “Find Matthew. I’ll see what I can do to neutralize Mary.”

“Don’t hurt her, Parker,” Eliot warned.

Parker gave him an exasperated look, “I know what I’m doing.”

He raised an eyebrow, and they all separated.

Parker strode towards Mary. As much fun as it would be to deck her, she knew that was the wrong play, so she just came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, hard.

Mary turned, face scrunching up in an annoyed expression. “What do you want?”

Parker forced a smile, and said pleasantly, “How can I assist you?”

“What?” Mary squinted at her, clearly exasperated.

Parker kept up the innocent, helpful façade. “You told me if anything went wrong, I should come find you for instructions.”

Mary spluttered for a second, and then barked something about how Parker needed to just go away, but the distraction was enough for Sophie and Nate to slip off the stage.

“ _Thanks, Parker_ ,” Nate said quietly. “ _Keep on her, just in case._ ”

Parker held back a grimace, but did what he said.

Nate and Sophie had ducked into a small hallway behind the ballroom that was usually only used for staff.

“Hmm,” Nate paced a few steps. “Obviously you didn’t sleep with him—”

“Obviously!” Sophie made a disgusted face.

“So, either he lied to Mary, or Mary’s lying to us,” Nate continued without pause. “If we knew where Matthew was, that’d be extremely helpful!” he added pointedly into the comms.

“ _Working on it, Nate_.” Eliot was clearly fed up. “ _Shouldn’t you have seen this coming?_ ”

Nate ignored him.

“I don’t think Mary is lying,” Sophie mused. “Either she’s much better than I thought, or she really did think she was saving you from a doomed marriage.”

“ _Why would she do that if they were just gonna break up the marriage anyway?_ ” That was Parker’s whisper, speaking quietly so Mary didn’t notice.

“ _Maybe she hasn’t been in on it at all?_ ” Eliot suggested.

“ _No, no, we know she is. She personally oversaw the money transfer for our clients_ ,” Hardison reminded them. “ _She knows about the honeymoon scam._ ”

“The honeymoon scam!” Nate and Sophie said together.

Sophie shook her head, amazed they didn’t see it earlier. “It was always about the honeymoon, not the marriage.”

“Mary was trying to stop her brother’s plans. She found out something he didn’t want her to know—”

“Probably whatever he’s got the gun for—” Sophie broke in.

“And she was trying to protect us.”

“You, she was trying to protect _you_ ,” Sophie corrected, smiling a little. “I think she likes you, Nate.”

“ _Gross_.” Eliot, Parker, and Hardison said together.

“ _What now?_ ” Eliot demanded.

“Don’t break character. Just—” Nate started, but he was cut off by a door banging down the hallway.

“Well, well, well, Clare, Shaw,” Matthew glided towards them, his feet making no noise on the polished floor, his gun on easy display in his hand.

“ _Found him,_ ” Parker sing-songed unhelpfully.

“That was quite unexpected,” Matthew continued, walking towards Nate and Sophie.

Nate took a step forward, holding his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on here? First you sleep with my girl, then you point a gun at me? I’m starting to think we’ve got a problem here, man.”

Matthew smiled evenly, “Gun’s just for security, in case you get any ideas.”

“ _You need me?_ ” Eliot asked, his voice sounding like he was running.

“Not yet,” Nate muttered, and then said loudly to Matthew, “What ideas? What do you mean?”

Sophie stepped forward. “Matt, what’s going on? What are you doing?” she asked calmly, making her voice light and reassuring.

Matthew jerked his head at her, but he kept the gun pointed on Nate. “Clare, come with me.”

Sophie blinked at him. “What?”

“Excuse me?” Nate said indignantly.

“You just have to trust me, Clare, I know something you don’t. Come with me,” Matthew looked from Sophie to Nate and back again. “Please.”

Sophie looked to Nate. He was shaking his head, but she didn’t listen. If Matthew still thought she was Clare, then he didn’t suspect her of anything, and they could use that. Nate was trying to signal her not to go, but they both knew it was the right thing to do in the situation. She slowly walked towards Matthew. “I’ll come with you—”

Matthew started to grin.

“ _If_ ,” she cut him off, stepping directly in front of him, between Nate and the end of the gun. “You put the gun away, Matthew. You don’t need to shoot anyone.”

Matthew chuckled, and put the gun back into his coat.

Sophie let out a breath, “Okay. Let’s go.”

Matthew grabbed her hand.

Nate just stood and watched as they ducked outside. Matthew couldn’t tell, but Sophie knew he was formulating a new plan. It was very sexy of him.

She was still wearing the wedding dress, but she discarded the train, grateful she’d had the forethought to wear shoes she could run in. Matthew put his hand on her back to lead her towards a line of golf carts outside. She let him guide her to one of the carts on the end. She could hear the team arguing over the comms, but she tuned them out.

Matthew drove them down a well-manicured path to a cabin in the woods a few hundred yards away from the main building. Sophie didn’t say anything during the drive, but she kept her eyes peeled for possible escape routes and ways to describe her location in case she needed to. She still didn’t speak until they were inside the cabin. She scanned the room, and then turned back to Matthew, raising an eyebrow. “The honeymoon suite? Isn’t that a bit presumptive, Mr. McKnight?”

Matthew grinned.

~o0o~

Back in the hallway behind the ballroom, Nate stood staring at the ground, listening to Sophie manipulate Matthew over the comms. He was quickly joined by Parker, Hardison, and Eliot.

“Now what?” Eliot asked, his eyes darting up and down the hallway.

“Sophie’s gonna work Matthew,” Parker said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And hopefully figure out what went wrong there. What do we do?”

“We . . .” Nate hesitated, and then smiled. “We go steal the mob.” He looked up and was met with three identically devilish faces. “Here’s the plan—”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long. Life is crazy, as I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you. Tentative plan is two more chapters of this, and don't worry, the Nate and Sophie goodness ramps up at the end. I realize I kind of let the con plot take over what was supposed to just be a fluffy little story about Nate and Sophie for Izzy, but what can I say; I love the team too much. Regardless, I hope you enjoy and I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as I can.

Sophie scanned the small cabin, hyper aware of Matthew behind her. To the right of the entryway, the living area was sunken down a few steps. A plush couch and a cozy matching armchair faced the fireplace, with a small coffee table in between. There was a small kitchenette to the left, and a hallway which presumably led to the bedroom.

She made a show of looking around the room slowly, pivoting on her heel before turning back to Matthew, giving him a good look at every angle of her backless dress. “The honeymoon suite? Isn’t that a bit presumptive, Mr. McKnight?” 

Matthew dodged the question. “What happened to calling me Matthew?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were friends, but,” she shrugged her shoulders delicately, “You just ruined my wedding and pointed a gun at my fiancé, so now I’m not sure what to think.”

Matthew chuckled.

Sophie took a seat on the couch, figuring that remaining calm and casual would be the best approach. If she pretended to be hysterical it would turn him off. She needed to use the right balance of ignorance and charm. “So, Matthew, you and I both know I never cheated on anybody.” She looked up at him from where she was sitting, over the back of the couch, a slight pout on her face. “That’s not a very nice thing to say about someone.”

Matthew strode towards her, taking a seat in the armchair. She hid her relief that he hadn’t sat on the couch next to her. She was all for flirting and giving him a show—from a distance.

“You weren’t fooling anyone, Clare.” Matthew’s eyes were bright and his face was smug. “Even if you didn’t cheat, you wanted to.”

If she wasn’t in the middle of a performance, Sophie would have taken the time to appreciate the irony of Matthew telling her she wasn’t fooling anyone.

“If you say so,” she demurred. “What I really want to know is what is this all about? You said you know something I don’t? Is it enough to justify a wasted wedding? You more than anyone know how much money just went down the drain.”

He ignored the crack about the money, but she could tell her instigation was working. She settled back into the couch, giving him an attentive smile.

~o0o~

Hardison strode down a hallway in the staff area of the resort, using the ‘I belong here’ walk he’d perfected after years of conning. Matthew and Mary’s shared office was up ahead.

“ _You at the computer yet?_ ” Nate’s voice sounded in his ear.

Hardison rolled his eyes. “Chill. I’m almost at their office.”

The office was empty as expected. Nate and Eliot were taking care of Mary, and Matt was with Sophie, so it was unlikely he’d be interrupted. Which was good, because as just the photographer, he had no legit excuse to be in here.

He eased into the office and closed the door behind him. He hadn’t been in here before, but Parker had, and she’d told him Matthew’s desk was the one in the left corner, so that’s the one he headed for.

“Okay,” Hardison said under his breath, booting up the computer, “Let’s see what you’ve been up to. . .”

~o0o~

Eliot shadowed Mary, following her outside to a small patio by the side garden. He hung back in the doorway and watched her as she paced back and forth, her heels echoing on the stone, her head down and her hand covering her mouth.

“You sure about this?” Eliot muttered.

“ _We don’t have time for subtlety_.” Nate sounded even more annoyed than usual, so Eliot just rolled his eyes and strode out into the open where Mary could see him.

She looked surprised, but didn’t question him, just stopped pacing and stared like she was waiting for him to announce the reason for his presence.

Eliot cleared his throat. “I’m gonna need you to come with me, darlin.’”

“What?” Mary scrunched her nose, but when he took another step towards her, she backed up. “Excuse me, what are you—”

“Mr. Shaw needs to speak with you,” Eliot said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He’s welcome to meet with me in my office—” Mary started, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Just come with me,” Eliot took her by the upper arm. She didn’t protest as he led her towards the garden, but that didn’t mean Eliot liked using these strongarm tactics. Typically he didn’t like using physical intimidation on women—they get enough of that already—but Nate was right. They were on a tight timeframe to figure out how this con went bad, and Sophie was still off on her own with Matt, and she could use whatever intel they could get her. So Eliot half-led half-pulled Mary towards a small tool shed in a sheltered nook of the garden.

Nate was waiting in the back corner of the shed. He was still in his wedding suit, but he’d found a fedora from somewhere, and had it pushed down low on his head. The shed was dimly lit by just one small window, and there was an empty chair in the middle of the room facing the door. Eliot hustled Mary inside, and gestured her towards the chair.

She sat in it primly, crossing her legs and holding her head up high, not turning to look at Nate. “What is this about, Mr. Shaw?”

Nate ignored her question. “Why did you stop my wedding, Ms. McKnight?” He was hovering behind her, and Eliot was blocking the door.

She shifted in her seat. “I told you. Clare was unfaithful.”

“Was she?” Nate leaned down over her shoulder so he was right in her ear. “Clare is a smart girl. She knows about my, ah, business, shall we say. I don’t think she’s stupid enough to betray me.”

“What business?” Mary turned, just a little, so her face was inches away from Nate’s. “Who are you, exactly?”

Nate snorted, and then straightened, standing upright and walking around so he was finally in front of Mary. “My name is Mr. Shaw, and that’s all you need to know. As for my business . . .” Nate trailed off, chuckling.

Eliot joined in, and they let a silence linger after their chuckles died out. That was enough to imply to Mary exactly what they wanted her to think. Letting her imagine was always much worse than flat out saying they were in organized crime.

“Look,” Mary said quickly, a slight shake in her voice. “I was trying to help you.”

“By making me miserable? By making me doubt a woman who’s stood beside me for years?” Nate challenged, “How does lying about her integrity help me?”

“Seems to me, Mary here was jealous,” Eliot put in, smiling a little.

“No!” Mary exclaimed, and then backtracked. “Well, you’re a lovely man, Mr. Shaw, but it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?” Nate looked right into Mary’s eyes.

Mary hesitated. “It’s true, I was trying to stop the wedding, but only because I think Clare is involved with my brother.”

“We already established she isn’t sleeping with him,” Nate interrupted.

“Not involved like that, involved like,” Mary searched for the word, “ _business_.”

Nate raised an eyebrow. “My business or your business?”

“Your business.”

“Hmm.” Nate exchanged glances with Eliot. “Interesting.”

~o0o~

Parker crept around the edge of the small honeymoon cabin. She knew Sophie and Matthew were inside, but she didn’t know where, exactly. As she edged around the building, she heard their voices coming from the living room. That was good. It’d be much easier to sneak into the bedrooms. She continued along the wall until she got to the small bathroom window. A brief check of the window size confirmed it was big enough for her hips to fit through, so she jimmied it open and pulled herself inside, gently lowering her body to the bathroom floor, making no noise.

She could hear Sophie and Matthew’s conversation echoing both on her com and drifting down the hall, so she switched frequencies to listen to Nate, Eliot, and Mary instead.

“ _What kind of business is your brother in, exactly?_ ” Nate was saying.

“ _Well . . ._ ” That was Mary. “ _There’s this guy in town—”_

Parker sucked in a breath. “Nate,” she whispered into the coms, keeping a careful eye down the hall to be sure Matthew couldn’t hear her. “I know why Mary’s been bugging me. I saw her two months ago in Bern.”

“ _The job with the warring drug cartels_?” Hardison asked.

“Yeah,” Parker confirmed, “Matthew must have been there too, he could have seen Nate. That would tip him off enough to make him suspicious.”

Mary was still dancing around the subject.

Nate interrupted her, “ _Let me stop you right there. We know about the drugs. We know about the whole thing. Why else do you think we picked this place to tie the knot? We’ve got a deal with your brother’s friends in town, but what I wanna know is why is your brother trying to sabotage it?”_

Mary started spluttering.

“Nice one,” Parker whispered to Nate, and then turned back to the task at hand.

~o0o~

“Come on,” Matthew was saying, leaning closer to where Sophie was perched on the sofa. “You know you’re relieved I convinced my sister to stop your wedding.”

Sophie clicked her tongue. “Maybe so, but I could’ve done without the gun business. And the implication that I’m adulterous.”

“I am sorry about that.” To his credit, Matthew did a good job of looking contrite. “I just needed the chance to get you away from Shaw.”

“Why?” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “How did you find out about him?” That was a calculated play, letting Matthew know she was aware of Nate’s supposed mob ties, but she needed to be on more of an even playing field of information before she could get Matthew to confide in her even more.

Matthew chuckled and sat back in his chair, looking impressed. “You’re either more perceptive than I thought, or you’ve been well-aware of where your fiancé gets his money this whole time.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow. “And which of those do you think it is?” she asked slowly, giving him a sultry smile.

Matthew paused, distracted by her demeanor.

Sophie didn’t give him time to speak, shifting closer and putting a hand on the arm of his chair, tilting her head to the side. “You know, Mr. McKnight, I’m disappointed. I thought you were interested in me, not in my fiancé’s business ventures.”

“Can’t a man be interested in both?”

“You’ll find women don’t like that response,” Sophie pouted, leaning back into the couch again.

Matthew smiled. “Well, then,” he templed his fingers in his lap, “How can I make it up to you?”

Sophie bit her lip. “For starters, you could tell me what exactly it is you do here. I don’t get in bed with anyone unless I know what their motives are.” She let the entendre hang in the air.

“What if I said my motives were to take advantage of the beauty in front of me,” Matthew gestured to her. “Unlike Shaw, I would never let such a woman go to waste.”

“I would say you’re a liar,” Sophie made her voice challenging, hiding her revulsion. She’d become a master at pretending to breeze past men’s comments, even encouraging them sometimes. But she obviously preferred when Nate, for instance, or really anyone with good intentions, paid her a compliment.

Matthew’s eyes widened and he looked surprised.

“I don’t mean you wouldn’t, uh,” Sophie caught his eyes, “ _appreciate_ me, Mr. McKnight, I only mean that that’s not your main motive. I’m not a fool. You’re after my fiancé’s money.”

“You’ve wounded me,” Matthew put a hand on his chest dramatically.

“But I’m not wrong,” Sophie said, letting smugness show on her face. So far this was going well. He was playing into her trap and he was keeping his hands to himself. She was pretty sure Parker was in the other room, but she only knew that from her voice over the coms; the thief made no noise audible to the occupants of the living room.

“ _Hey, Soph_ ,” That was Hardison through the coms. “ _I’m burning through Matthew’s computer, but I’m really gonna need some indications of a banking number if I’m gonna accomplish anything._ ”

Good thing Sophie had been priming him for that very thing.

“Listen here, Matthew,” she switched to a more business-like tone, sitting up straight once again and crossing her ankles. “I don’t care if your main ploy was to get money from Shaw. That’s fine with me, as long as you’re also serious about taking me along with you.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Sophie rolled her eyes at him, which was sure to get his blood boiling, and put on an exasperated voice. “You’ve seen my fiancé. Why would I pick him when I could be with someone equally wealthy who lives in a French castle, and let’s face it,” Sophie looked him up and down slowly, “seems much better at giving a woman what she wants.”

Sophie thought she heard some kind of reaction over the coms, but she tuned it out. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Matthew pulled his bottom lip through his teeth. “You make a valid point, Clare.”

Sophie smirked. “You agree then?”

Matthew stood up and ambled around the room, turning his back to her. Sophie watched him, amused. “I’ll need something from you then” he said finally.

“And what’s that?”

Matthew half-turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Access to Shaw’s bank accounts. Can you get it?”

Sophie chuckled, “Oh, for sure.”

Matthew grinned. “Perfect.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Look at me, posting two days in a row. I am both competing with my friend and also, I wanted to post this in time for Izzy to hopefully see it when she gets up/checks social media. Hopefully this might cheer you up some, I know you didn't get much sleep and have that project to deal with. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, everyone!

_“You’ve seen my fiancé_ ,” Sophie’s voice came perfectly into Nate’s ear, sounding completely serious and completely truthful, “ _Why would I pick him when I could be with someone equally wealthy who lives in a French castle and, let’s face it._ ” Sophie paused and Nate could just imagine the face she was making, could see it in his mind’s eye, “ _seems much better at giving a woman what she wants._ ”

Nate let out a breath, clenching his jaw.

Eliot looked over at him, concerned, but neither let on that anything was happening. Not with Mary still quivering in fear in front of them.

“ _Damn, low blow_ ,” Hardison exclaimed, “ _You in the doghouse for something, Nate_?”

“Shut up,” Nate said harshly, and Eliot raised his eyebrow even further, but Nate directed his anger towards Mary. “Stop blubbering and listen to me.” He leaned down in front of her again, his hands on his knees, getting in her face. “Your brother is in hot water. He’s screwing over his drug buddies, and they know it. The best thing you can do is hope they don’t think you’re involved.”

Eliot picked up on what Nate was doing and tightened his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you involved, Mary? We could tell them you’re involved.”

“No!” Mary spluttered. “Of course not. I don’t know what he’s doing, I just do the wedding scams.”

Nate leaned closer. “Explain.”

That was all it took to get a recorded confession from her to all of the McKnights’ misdoings, which—when added to the money Sophie was in the process of getting from Matthew—would make a nice package to present to their clients.

Thank God this job was almost over, Nate wasn’t sure he could take much more.

~o0o~

Sophie had no issue getting Matthew’s bank accounts from him, under the guise of stealing Nate’s money, and Hardison was able to use that information to steal millions from the local drug dealers that he’d conveniently hacked earlier that day. He put the drug dealers’ money into Matthew’s account, after putting a cool million or so aside for their client. No doubt the drug dealers would see the transfer, assume Matthew robbed them, and come after him with a vengeance.

Sophie evaded Matthew easily, changing into the outfit Parker had left for her in the bedroom of the honeymoon suite when she’d broken in. The two girls escaped together on Matthew’s golf cart, leaving Matthew himself waiting for Sophie in the bedroom. Privately, Sophie wondered how long it would take him to realize she wasn’t actually freshening up in the bathroom and come looking for her.

It didn’t really matter how long it took him, because they were all on separate flights out of the country within the hour. They were all headed back to Portland eventually, Eliot by way of New York, Parker and Hardison by way of Paris and then Charlotte. Nate and Sophie were making a pit stop in London at one of Sophie’s properties for a few days. Nate was trying to focus on the con less, after all, and taking breaks between cases—and letting the others pick the clients—kept him from taking things too seriously. Sophie was good at distracting him.

Usually, at least. He was suspiciously quiet on the short plane ride to London, but she chalked that up to being tired and brooding over all the ways the con could have gone bad. A part of her worried that he was upset with her for going with Matthew alone to the cabin after he’d asked her not to, but they both knew that was the right call. She wouldn’t have done it otherwise.

Sophie cleared her throat as the plane made its descent, reaching over and resting a hand on Nate’s arm. Might as well be upfront. “You’ve been mighty quiet, darling.”

“Hmm?” Nate looked up from where he’d been staring out the window at the rapidly approaching city lights below them. “Just thinking.”

“That’s never good,” Sophie clicked her tongue, running her hand lightly down his arm and taking his hand. She liked holding his hand, as childish as that sounded. She didn’t get to do it enough. “What’s on your mind?”

Nate chuckled, rather darkly to Sophie’s mind, and ran his tongue over his teeth. “Right now? About how good a hot shower and a nice cozy bed will feel.”

“The luxury resort we’ve been staying in wasn’t enough for you?” Sophie teased, hoping that really was all there was to Nate’s apparent melancholy.

Nate smiled a little, but it was guarded. “Sophie, are—are we good?”

“Yes,” Sophie blinked in surprise. “Yes, of course! Unless you know something I don’t?” She left it hanging, a question.

Nate shook his head, almost imperceptibly. “No, no. Just checking.”

Now Sophie was more concerned than ever, but Nate went back to staring out the plane window as they thudded to the tarmac, so she let it drop, for now. He’d bring it up again when he was ready, or she’d get it out of him tonight. Either way, she couldn’t help feeling like she’d screwed something up.

~o0o~

Sophie’s West End apartment, one of her many London properties, looked exactly the same to Nate as the last time he’d been here, but as soon as they’d entered the luxurious open planned living space, Sophie had muttered something about making sure the staff had followed her instructions and hurried off to check without even turning on the lights. Nate didn’t say anything, just dropped his bags on the floor and dropped himself onto Sophie’s plush white couch, stretching out and putting his hat over his face. He was tired, and he couldn’t get those stupid words out of his head.

_You’ve seen my fiancé . . ._

He knew she hadn’t meant them, knew she was just schmoozing the mark, like always. But maybe it was the scotch he’d had on the plane or maybe it was just time for another self-destructive episode, but that question was swirling in his mind again.

Why _did_ she pick him? Sophie could have anyone, literally _anyone_ , in her bed within an hour. Not only was she perhaps the most stunning woman on the planet, she was the sweetest, the most caring. She was attentive, she carried her own weight, she knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it—literally everything any sane person would look for in a partner.

So why in the world would she pick him?

Nate sat up a little, propping himself up on one of his elbows, and threw his hat to the ground. His wedding ring was glinting on his finger, shining in the dimly lit room. He’d put it back on as soon as the con was over, before they’d even arrived at the airport, and he hadn’t failed to notice that Sophie had done the same. He shouldn’t be having doubts. She’d married him for Christ’s sake. Still . . .

Their wedding had been small. Despite Sophie’s grand tastes, they didn’t invite many guests and they saw no reason for exorbitance. (They’d saved that for the honeymoon, which was both very exorbitant and _very very_ worth it.)

There was a small chapel in Ireland, an old stone building surrounded by rolling grass. That’s where they had it. It was perfect. Father Paul had flown in to perform the ceremony—as a friend, not as a priest, he’d been sure to clarify, since according to the Catholic Church Nate was still married to Maggie. The team had been there, of course, and Tara and Maggie and even Sterling. That was it though, and that was all they’d needed.

Everyone stayed at a bed and breakfast right down the road from the chapel, and though Sophie had spent the night before the wedding with him in his room, she was gone when he awoke. He hadn’t been surprised to find her gone. She was a fan of some traditions, after all, so he’d assumed he wouldn’t see her again until she was walking down the aisle.

He’d been wrong. She found him behind the church an hour before the ceremony was supposed to start. He’d come out to get some fresh air, to take in the landscape of his ancestor’s home. His dad always talked about coming back here, after all, and Nate couldn’t help but wonder if Jimmy Ford would have come to this wedding, given the chance.

Nate was glad to be pulled from those thoughts by Sophie approaching him across the grass, a genuine, _happy_ smile on her face, a smile that he knew he didn’t see nearly enough. He would spend the rest of his life trying to rectify that.

She was stunning. She was always stunning, but then, that moment—He’d never seen anything more beautiful. Her dress had been simple, much simpler than the one she’d picked for the con, and yet just as _Sophie_. Lace sleeves floated softly past her elbows, but they were cape sleeves, tapered, exquisite like fairy wings. The bodice was low cut, but modest, and the white shift hugged tightly to her curves, tempered only by the lace that fell over it all. She was draped in that lace, but not in a heavy, stifling way, in a way that implied a gauzy bedsheet or a summer curtain in the breeze. It wasn’t inherently sexual, though, for all that the imagery of it brought Nate to a luxurious bedroom. It was soft, and delicate, and angelic.

Or maybe the angelic part had more to do with the woman inside it, the woman who’d saved him.

Sophie had stopped a few feet in front of Nate, biting her lip, her eyes twinkling. “Good morning,” she said pleasantly, like it was a normal day, like they were meeting for coffee or waking up in each other’s beds.

Nate felt his mouth falling open into a smile of its own accord. He didn’t take his eyes off of her, radiant in front of a backdrop of brilliant green, until finally he realized he should say _something_ to the gorgeous woman in front of him. “Morning,” he cleared his throat, stumbling over the word.

Sophie had laughed, and stepped forward to take his hand.

~o0o~

Sophie was in the master bathroom, running a bath for Nate. She hadn’t heard from him since they’d arrived, hadn’t even heard him go into the bedroom. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he’d said he wanted a shower before bed, so she had thought maybe a relaxing soak would do him good. He never liked fitting his 6-foot frame into airplane seats, even in business or first class. Sophie knew other ways to relax him, of course, but he’d seemed distant on the plane and in the cab. She wished she knew what was bothering him.

She’d filled tub was pulling bottles of her various fancy soaps out from under the sink so Nate would be able to reach them when his voice greeted her from behind, startling her, making her drop a bottle into the tub.

“Sorry,” Nate chuckled a little as she fished around in the bath for the dropped bottle.

Sophie felt him approach, come up behind where she was crouching on the tile floor, but she didn’t turn.

“Can we talk?” Nate asked, and his voice sounded careful, balanced, but not necessarily hurt or angry. Something tightened in Sophie’s chest.

She stood and turned to face him in one fluid motion, smiling even though she knew that he knew it was probably fake, the slippery soap bottle in her dripping wet hand. “Sure, darling. I was just drawing you a bath. You seemed like you needed it.” There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, and she hated that. Why must he be surprised that she would do something nice for him? He was a bloody arrogant ass about everything else, where did that confidence go sometimes?

“Thank you,” he said it tenderly, and he stepped closer to her.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t upset about anything after all?

Sophie let him lean in and kiss her—she kissed him back, shoving the soap bottle onto the sink next to them and wrapping her hands around his neck.

He pulled back, just enough to speak. “You’re getting my shirt wet.”

Sophie grinned and ran her damp hand through his hair, laughing when he tried to duck away. “Come on now,” she jerked her head towards the tub, “Get naked, the water’s getting cold.”

Nate met her eyes, cocking his head to the side a little. “Will my lovely wife be joining me?”

Sophie clicked her tongue regretfully. “Not tonight, darling.” She half-thought he might protest, but he just nodded, and started unbuttoning his shirt. She watched him undress and kept watching him until he had sunken down into the tub. “So,” Sophie said carefully, stepping up to the mirror and beginning her process of removing her makeup and washing her face. “What did you want to talk about?”

She didn’t hear any noises and she wasn’t looking at him, but something about his pause told her he’d almost forgotten what he’d said when he first walked into the bathroom. “Uh—”

Sophie didn’t let him get a word out, “Nate, darling, did I upset you today? With Matthew?” She wasn’t sure what she’d done, if it was the fact she’d gone alone with Matthew at all, or if there was something he’d heard over coms, but that was the only thing she could figure that would have brought about the change she’d seen from that morning to tonight.

Nate sighed loudly, and she heard sloshing from the tub as he sank deeper into the water. “I’m not happy that you walked into an unsecure location with a gun-toting bad guy who wanted very much to screw you.”

Sophie put down her washcloth and turned off the faucet, looking down at the sink, trying to figure out how to defend herself when she didn’t want to argue in the first place.

“But—” Nate started lightly.

Sophie looked up, first into the mirror, and then turning to face him.

“—I know you had to do it.” Nate continued, meeting her eyes. “So, no, not upset about that.”

“About that,” Sophie repeated, obviously picking up on his word choice. She hadn’t spent all this time around Nate to miss something like that. She raised an eyebrow.

“It did hurt my feelings when you listed the reasons that it would make more sense to pick Matthew over me,” Nate was looking ahead now, towards the end of the tub and the bathroom wall, not at her. His voice didn’t sound hurt, though, it sounded arrogant, and for whatever reason that annoyed her. She knew now what he was referring to, could see why that would upset him. At the time she’d hadn’t been thinking about him, she’d been saying what the mark needed to hear, and Nate should’ve known that.

“Why the hell would you listen to anything I say on a con?” she cried, waving a hand wildly. “Especially to a mark like that?” She paced a few steps across the bathroom floor. “What—”

Nate cut her off, not loudly, but still in that arrogant tone that drove her wild in more ways than one, still not looking at her. “And then,” he kept going like she hadn’t said a thing, “I remembered a very key fact.”

“And what’s that?” Sophie crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him.

Nate turned to her and grinned, devilishly, eyes twinkling. “That _you_ married _me_. No matter what the reasons, you married me, you _picked_ me. That certainly means more than anything you could say to a mark.”

Sophie felt herself relax, tension draining away as her hands dropped to her sides again. She smiled. “I love you, Nate.”

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never put end notes, but I wanted to round out my original statement that I wrote this to be like an episode. You can't tell me that if they made a Nophie wedding episode, it wouldn't start with a fake-out wedding that was actual a con and then end with some kind of flashback to their real wedding which had happened months or even a year prior. That's exactly how the writers would play it, so that's how I played it here. I really hope you enjoyed.


End file.
